Having hinted last week that the HTC HD2 would come with something unexpected, this morning T-Mobile announced the HTC HD2 would come packed with an entertainment bonanza. Like Blockbuster On Demand for downloading movies on the device or Barnes and Noble downloadable e-reader content and last but definitely not least, Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen included on the microSD card. Any phone that comes with both Transformers movies is a must buy for me! Say what you want, but Michael Bay movies are just “explosively” fun. The best news? The HTC HD2 will be exclusive to Magenta making you the envy of HTC Sense lovers everywhere. This phone just can’t truly be enjoyed without 3G speeds but I’m doing a damn good job of trying! The bigger questions is when or if the HD2 will receive an update to Windows Phone 7 in the future but for the moment, enjoy its 4.3 inches of excellence! Officially expected to drop in March, we’re still expecting the 24th as the leaked retail slide showed.

Of course, not to be outshone by the HTC HD2 is the Webconnect Rocket, T-Mobile’s first HSPA+ USB modem capable of the 21Mbps speed we are all drooling over. Of course, the launch will have to wait a little for a footprint to use as the service is still only available in the Philadelphia area. We know that the east and west coasts are going to be the first areas where you will be able to fully enjoy data speeds that make DSL look like child’s play. The Webconnect rocket drops in March, though the exact date is unknown.

T-Mobile USA’s HTC HD2 to Bring a Never-Before-Seen Mobile Experience to Entertainment Fans Across the U.S.

T-Mobile to Deliver a Multimedia Powerhouse With Content From Barnes & Noble, BLOCKBUSTER, MobiTV and Paramount Pictures on the Largest Screen on a Smartphone

BARCELONA, Spain, and BELLEVUE, Wash. – Feb. 16, 2010 – During a press conference at Mobile World Congress today, T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced the creation of a comprehensive mobile entertainment experience for the upcoming HTC HD2, available exclusively in the U.S. from T-Mobile this spring. Offering the largest touch screen on a smartphone in the U.S., the new HTC HD2 will come ready with access to millions of eBooks, movies, television programs and more.

The slim and sleek HTC HD2 comes equipped with an industry-leading, high-resolution 4.3-inch capacitive touch display, a blazing-fast 1GHz Snapdragon™ by Qualcomm processor, and support for T-Mobile’s high-speed 3G network for a fast mobile data experience. Designed by HTC, the HTC HD2 is also the first Windows phone with HTC Sense™.

“T-Mobile is committed to offering innovative solutions to connect, inspire and entertain our customers through the power of mobile technology,” said George Harrison, vice president, marketing product innovation, T-Mobile USA. “By combining leading innovation in the world of entertainment with the large screen and processing power of the HTC HD2, we’ve created a unique and powerful mobile entertainment experience.”

Consumers will have access to a complete entertainment package consisting of pre-loaded content and new pre-installed applications. In addition to the device’s array of built-in multimedia applications, the HTC HD2’s top entertainment features include the following:

• Barnes & Noble eReader application puts the world’s largest eBookstore in your hand with access to more than a million eBooks, newspapers, magazines and your Barnes & Noble digital library everywhere you go. Enjoy reading on the largest screen available for eReader smartphone software.
• BLOCKBUSTER on Demand® application is for discovering and downloading the hottest new releases on the go. Blockbuster’s first-ever video download application on a smartphone allows consumers to buy a movie on one device and watch on another connected device through Blockbuster’s library.
• MobiTV mobile application offers consumers access to live and on-demand TV on their phone – including news, sports and entertainment. Favorite channels such as MTV, NBC, COMEDY CENTRAL, ESPN and more are available for HTC HD2 consumers to watch at home or away. Plus, when HTC HD2 consumers subscribe to MobiTV, their first 30 days of service are free.
• Paramount Pictures’ popular films “Transformers” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” come pre-loaded on the device’s memory card and optimized for viewing on the HTC HD2’s high-resolution screen.
• Gogo® Inflight Internet service offers consumers who purchase the HTC HD2 an added bonus: up to six months of free in-flight Wi-Fi access on their device, with Internet access on 2,500 daily flights in the continental U.S. and growing.

“With an ultrafast 1GHz processor, crisp, vivid 4.3-inch screen and the hallmark HTC Sense user experience, the HTC HD2 represents the ultimate fusion of power and usability,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. “By building on this highly capable platform with a wide range of mobile entertainment options, HTC is helping deliver a multimedia powerhouse to people looking to enhance their on-the-go lifestyle.”

“Windows phones offer flexibility for people who want to get the most out of life – work and play – with no compromises,” said Andy Lees, senior vice president, Mobile Communication Business, Microsoft Corp. “The HTC HD2 is an ideal phone for people who are always on the go as it gives access to the things they care about most. Whether it’s music, TV, Internet or e-mail, they have what they want, when they want it.”

In addition to the comprehensive entertainment features of the device, the HTC HD2 delivers advanced phone features including Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, GPS functionality with access to turn-by-turn navigation from TeleNav GPS Navigator™, a Web browser, a pre-installed 16 GB microSD card, and an advanced 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash for capturing images, even in dim conditions.

Availability
The HTC HD2 is expected to be available in the U.S. exclusively to T-Mobile customers this spring. More details will be available at http://www.sticktogether.com/htchd2.

3G coverage is not available everywhere. For information about T-Mobile’s 3G service, device features, or the offers and services mentioned, see T-Mobile.com.

About David Beren

David is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TmoNews.com. He considers himself a Jedi Knight, capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound and a connoisseur of fine cell phones. He has been involved in the wireless industry since 2003 and has been known to swap out phones far too many times in any given year. Should you wish to contact him, you can do so: david@tmonews.com.

Kind of a dissapointment – having a ebook reader and a blockbuster app pre-installed isn’t really that big of a deal considering this is WM and you can install whatever you want anyway. I really doubt I wold use either of these applications, so their really just taking up space.

Dj Lu

But cant you uninstall does apps if you wanted to????

dean

with no deticated search button how can it recieve the mobile 7 update? that is one of their requirments.

Dj Lu

I would nt like the idea of not being able to update to W7S whenever it comes available but I would hate even more to have to wait 10 more months for a new phone specially when the hd2 is so atractive. Also its amazing how people demand so much considering these phones are just coming out. Poeple cant enjoy technology as it goes. Something new comes out and a few days later they are already complating about this and that like if it was so easy to develop these high end smartphones. HD2 is awesome wether it gets the update or not. Count me in….

Guerrilla

you’re right, it doesnt have a dedicated search button, but one of the buttons on the ottom could double as a search button. i think it will get wp7. my reasoning for thinking this is that i signed up at tmobile for info on the hd2, today they sent me an email….and at the top of the email it says htc and windows phone! so with that said i think it will be upgradable…because phones that have wm6.x.x are refered to as windows mobile phones, and not windows phones. maybe im reading into it too much, who knows>

Barrmorr

While the phone itself looks amazing, the inclusion of two movies that are truly a waste of celluloid is certainly not a bonus. I wonder how much these two films are going to raise the price of the device and why the people who have no interest in watching them have to pay for them.

Dj Lu

Good point! I just think they do that for the eye candy customers. “Wow look how amazing this movie looks on this phone(customer at the store) and you know they will be playing the movie on the display phone. lol….

Mockerfab4

Very cool. I really like MobiTV and even B&N, since I buy books all the time already on my Kindle for iPhone. Blockbuster is eh… I hope they can get a Netflix app eventually. The HD2 is running Silverlight, which is what Netflix streams there movies on, so it could happen (one can dream). Oh, and love the Transformers movies!

Great job TMO, now we need pricing and maybe an early release date? ;)

Thank you. T-Mobile customers on here, are the worst complainers. T-Mobile try to step it up & people still complain, wtf?!

ItsMichaelNotMike

You have that right. So who cares that someone does not like the movies that T-Mo selected to include on the chip.

Obviously T-Mo had to pay a lot of coin for licensing rights to include those movies. So what should T-Mo have done, not included the movies?

As it is, those were two very popular movies so I’d do what T-Mo did, go with titles that would please the most people.

Yeah, you can’t please everyone, for those people, they can just delete the movies off the card and use the extra space for something else.

I like the idea and think it’s a cool marketing gimmick, to include two feature length movies on the microSD card. Who knows, maybe that will become an industry standard and the question people will ask “Wonder what movies will come with the phone?”

As far as T-Mo including the movies has driven up the cost of the phone, how does anyone know that? Movie licensing rights on a large scale are dirt cheap. It might cost T-Mo $1 to $2 per phone to include the movies, if that. So big whoop. People just look for things to criticize and whine about.

For them there is no perfect phone. If the phone is black, they want a darker black. If the display is 3.6″ they want 3.7″ If the phone comes with a 2GB chip, they want 4GB, if the phone cost $250, they want it free.

equis

i agree with both dave & mike

hislove1826

I am so in love with this phone. can’t wait for it to come out. I was going to buy it unlocked until the confirmed it was coming to T-Mobile… My oh my I am excited. Come on March..

Pythagoras

Does anyone know the price?

I searched t-mobile.com but i guess it’s not there yet.

Thanks!

Mockerfab4

Still a biq question mark. Prices have not been leaked or released yet. Right now people are just speculating….My guess is it will be around the current prices of the Touch Pro 2, which is another WM device in Tmo’s lineup.

Pythagoras

Thanks.

I want to buy either this or the Sony Ericsson Aspen ASAP…

So far I can’t find either online.

David

That is because they are not released yet, didn’t you read the article? Your “ASAP” will be March 24th for the HD2. Settle down.

Pythagoras

Darn.

This looks like the best phone t-mobile has ever had.

I can’t wait!

Alex V

what are the realistic chances that this phone gets windows mobile 7? I just dont see it happening. It looks like an amazing phone but i feel like t-mobile, again got the shaft…. 2 months before a big time phone comes out windows announces that they will have a revolutionary OS IN DECEMBER. oh well. I will probably still get it.

Mockerfab4

I’m starting to be realistic as well, and I don’t think this will be upgradeable to W7. :(

Not much there, but it basically confirms what’s offered in their recent Press release. I expect more things to come in the next few weeks, and this official page is probably the best page to get all the current info.

Flgirll

I’m not going to pre-order since I need to see if I’m comfortable with not having a physical keyboard but all the other features make me very excited to get this phone!!!! I will most likely delete the Transformers movies after I watch them but it’s kind of cool that they include it with the phone to show off the quality. My only concern would be the battery life but from reviews I’ve seen it looks like it’s good under heavy usage.

Artur

The hardware on that thing is great but it is coming right out of the door with software that is immediately outdated. It’s not even running 6.5.3 (unless I’m mistaken). That is its fatal flaw as far as I’m concerned and really a deal killer. I much rather wait for Motoroi if it actually materializes on TMO or maybe even a Dell mini5 although that thing just might be too big. Motoroi has lower spec hardware (except camera) but at least the OS is up to date and it would really make a nice upgrade to G1. HD2 looks like a great phone and I’m sure that a lot of people will still buy it. However, due to Windows phone 7 announcement, it is not going to be as much popular as it would have been if TMO released it before the 7 announcement. Another TMO phone release mistake?

Rstar

how much is this thing gonna cost?!!!

equis

alot

T-mobile “rep” (lol)

Dear customers, the price of the HD2 is as follows: We will need 1 finger, and arm and a leg. Nothing more, nothing less.

Hmm…, if this thing can be upgraded to 7 I just might reconsider. I’m not 100% sold on that OS though either. I saw a part of the MS video demo and it would take some time to get used to to say the least. Android feels natural after year and a half with it. Given a choice of HD2 with 7 series OS and something like a Motoroi might be a tough decision that would require a trip to the store and some hands on playing with both. Having a choice between HD2 with Windows 6.5 and a possibility of 7 in September (xda might of course cut that wait considerably) and Motoroi would be easier though with Motoroi winning at this point.

I will have to agree with a few other posters here, the ONLY hang-up I have on the HD2 is the upgrade option. If it is confirmed that we will get WinMo7 then this is a definite pre-order and I will get it the day it is released. If it is confirmed that there will NOT be an upgrade, then I will likely sit out and wait till the holiday season to get a device that will have WinMo7.

Remember – the HD2 is absolutely sick, but with the requirements MS is putting on the hardware in order to run WinMo7 the phones being released later this year will be fully spec’d out too.

There will be models with OLED screens being released, all must meet certain processor and RAM requirements while also being capacitive.

We MIGHT have to exercise some patience, but there will be some really slick phones running WinMo7 before the end of the year.

tie

But will it get an upgrade to win phone 7 series?

efjay

I wonder if this is the stuff David was referring to when he said he had some hush-hush info about the HD2. Or maybe something more interesting?

andrew

How much is the phone

FILA

damn, very very nice, wish I liked WM

Select a phone:(optional)

+

Number of Lines

- Any -

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Minutes Unlimited

Messages: 500

Data

Select the amount of total data you need for the entire plan.

For example, if you need 2 lines with 1 GB of data each, you would select 2 GB of data with the data slider below.

About PhoneDog

PhoneDog is one of the largest and most popular interactive mobile news and reviews resource that attracts a community of more than 2.5 million unique visitors each month. The site may have a "cute" name, but it offers up serious editorial content and video reviews that users rely on to make important decisions about their next mobile purchases.